Kim Atienza recalls how he learned of daughter Emman's death: 'Nanlambot ako, nanlamig ako'
Kim Atienza opened up about how he learned that his daughter Emmanuelle “Emman” Atienza had passed away.
In an excerpt of his interview with Jessica Soho, the TV presenter shared that two days before Emman's death, she texted her mother, Kim's wife Felicia Hung, about an emergency. Felicia was also in the United States at the time, specifically in Florida.
"[Emman] said, 'Mom, I'm in an emergency right now, but worry not, there's no self-harm. But I need to go to a therapy center,'" he recalled. Emman had been candid about her mental health struggles.
When Kim tried to call Emman, she did not respond. The next day, Felicia told the TiktoClock host with some "terrible" news.
"I knew already. Napaluhod ako. Nanlambot ang tuhod ko. Sabi ko, 'Lord, ito na.' So, I called Feli, and Feli said, 'Emman's gone.' Nanlambot ako. Nanlamig ako," Kim said.
"And ang nasa utak ko, 'Lord, dasal ko sa'yo ito araw-araw. Why?' Feli flew right away to LA. And then, iyon na nga. [I] flew to LA also two days after."
Emman was brought back to the Philippines. Her wake will be held at The Chapels at Heritage Memorial Park on Nov. 3 to 4.
In the interview, Kim shared how he was coping with their loss.
"I'd like to think that my daughter Emman did not die in vain. Noong namatay si Emman—kasi we know that Emman is sick, and she had a few attempts in the past. My prayer to the Lord every single day was for this not to happen. For Emman to be safe, for Emman to be happy, for Emman to heal. Yet this happened," he said.
Kim also noted that "grief comes in waves" for him.
"Minsan biglang bumabagsak. Ngayon, okay ako. So, ayoko mag-isa. Dahil pag mag-isa ko, medyo mabigat," he said.
"Parang, 'Lord, kahit bigyan mo ako ng cancer, okay. Titiisin ko 'yan eh. Madali ang physical pain. Titisin mo 'yun eh... Pero 'yung mamatayan ka ng anak, masakit. Hindi mo alam kung saan galing 'yung sakit[.] Masakit sa lahat," he added later in the interview.
Looking at social media posts about how his daughter "touched a lot of lives" helps him through the tough time, Kim shared.
"Nagugulat ako, even Americans, even people from out of the country are making comments about Eman and about how she's touched their life," Kim said.
Emman passed away at 19 in her home in Los Angeles, California on Oct. 22. She was known for her quirky, vibrant videos, and she openly shared her personal journey with anxiety and online hate to raise awareness.
